Photo taken with a normal phone camera. Cluster of T. reticulatus flowers. The flower stalks harden to hard spikes after the flowers die off. This cutting has bloomed before but the spikes had to be trimmed off while it was recovering from a mystery infection. This is the first time the plant has bloomed since.

Nikon D780 with kit lens and Kenko extension tubes on a tripod with focus rail. Macro shot of a couple of T. reticulatus flowers. Each is about 8 to 10 mm long and 3 to 5 mm across. They are odorless to me but then, I'm not a bug.

Tylecodon reticulatus
#succulents #fatplants #caudiciforms 🪴 #macrophotography

Photo of a mature plant, approximately 15 cm tall. Purchased as a rooted cutting in 2016, already with a dense reticulate crown leftover from previous inflorescence. The plant was oozing pink goo when it arrived and had to be rehabilitated for 20 months before going back into the pot for another attempt at rooting. That process took another two years. The crown had to be trimmed off because you can't walk near the thing without it snaging on something. I keep it in a heavy pot to force me to be careful when I move it. It is growing in full sun, inside a wire cage built to protect it from squirrels and birds.

T. reticulatus is classified as "Least Concern" but its population in habitat is declining due to aggressive collection. When I bought it in 2016, I only checked its conversvation status and assumed it was grown from seeds (the seller had a solid reputation and had been in business for decades--definitely enough time and experience to have grown such plants from seeds). Although it was diseased on arrival, it had the magnificent weathered look only found in habitat-collected plants, especially caudiciforms. I may be wrong, but I don't think I am. So, well. Shit. I have since gone into several rabbitholes, learned some depressing shit and hardened on what plants I will and will not buy. Still, I own a habitat-collected plant. I am embarrassed that I have it, but here we are. Oh, and it is blooming for the first time. At least I didn't fucking kill it.

My POS (Plant of Shame)
Tylecodon reticulatus
#succulents #caudiciforms #tylecodon #plantofshame

South African shrub, supposedly grows up to over a meter. This one is fairly young, about 18 cm. Never seen it bloom yet.

Tylecodon paniculatus, 13yo
#succulents #caudiciforms

Grown from Mark Dimmit seeds sown in 2012. Leaves start to grow back when temps rise above 25C.

Adenium arabicum, 12 yo
#succulents #caudiciforms #seedgrown 📷🪴

2025...The caudex of the plant has grown to about 6 cm across.

2025...Viewed from the side, the fat nodes growing out of the caudex are more visible, as are the cluster of branches with their scale-like leaves..

Closer view of the papery leaves growing along the length of the branch.

2025
Avonia quinaria ssp alstonii
#succulents
#caudiciforms

2015 A mature seedling with the flat-topped, fat trunk (caudex) about 2 cm in diameter. The leaves are very tiny and papery, growing around a central stem so tightly packed it looks like a scaly, snake-ey thing. These leaf stems grow up about a cm long in clusters all over the surface of the caudex. This plant arrived still in its first transplant pot post-germination. The medium was scary heavy; the plant had to be yoinked out of that death pot immediately.

2018...not that you can't grow succulents in heavy medium. By all means, do it. But we're not playing in nightmare level here; porous with only a bit of organic material is prefered. This plant, at this point, has started to grow very fast. It grows faster in summer when it needs a lot of sun to stay compact.

2021..Nodes that I will call branches are now more distinct, growing on a wide, flat caudex. The terminus of these branches have clusters of stems with miniscule, silvery leaves growing in a spiral so tight, the stem is not visible. The plant has now moved to what will be its permanent pot. Size: 4 to 4.5 cm in diameter. In habitat, no part of the caudex will be visible. In cultivation where conditions are not so severe, it lifts above the soil without the need for lifting.

Avonia quinaria ssp alstonii, 10-year retro
#succulents
#caudiciforms

Tylecodon tuberosus. Picture shows a squat plant with dark green, elliptical, blunt-tipped leaves covered in white hairs. It blooms readily and seeds are easy to germinate but getting them to survive the first three years is not for the ill-tempered. Growing in a 4-cm pot. But is this really T. tuberosus? No clue. It is poorly documented in the wild and probably gone by now. Someone out there knows more.

Tylecodon longipes. Plant with hairy leaves typical of tylecodons. To prevent etiolation, this plant must be grown HARD. The entire plant shrivels in summer. Never managed to get seeds from this one.

Othonna herrei. Small young plant with a globular trunk about 2 cm in diameter. The leaves are dark bluish-green. It has a tendency to deform when overwatered so it has to be grown VERY HARD.

Aloinopsis malherbei. Throwing this in because the number of flower buds was shocking. About seven so far.

More winter growing #succulents #caudiciforms or #plantwantsyoutoGTFO
"growing hard": Feed once a year or even don't; keep in soil-free, airy substrate; when you think it needs water, it usually doesn't.